A fitness columnist gets a

lot of stuff to test. I've tried gadgets designed to make me feel

better, pay better attention, look better and to workout faster and more

easily. Among the creams and gadgets and apparel and flash cards and counters,

I found the following the best combination of unique, interesting and,

in some cases, even helpful:

Danskin toning balls (www.danskinfitness.com).

Danskin Fitness Equipment for

Women came up with "toning balls" that are cushy, compact, vinyl-covered

weights. They come in bright colors and 4-, 6- and 8-pound sizes.

I passed them out to women

around the office, seeking their impressions. I realized early that these

balls had merit because co-workers began swiping them from each other.

In general, the 4-pounder was

considered for beginners only. The 6-pound one got the highest overall

mark for fitting into small hands, being easy to hold and fun to exercise

with. The 8-pound ball had downsides: "rolls off shelves and too

big to palm and too light to do much good when holding in both hands."

Upside: "doesn't hurt when I bonk my head like I do with weights."

The balls come with exercise instructions.

The Aqua FM Snorkel (www.aquasphereusa.com).

I must admit, I never found

National Public Radio so interesting that I needed to take it below the

surface with me, but this underwater radio seemed an intriguing idea.

The mouthpiece contains a transistor

radio. A wire antenna runs up the snorkel. Through "bone conduction"

sound is transmitted through the user's teeth and jawbone.

I got great reception while

sitting at my desk, but didn't like the looks I was getting. So I

asked co-worker Christy True, an avid swimmer, to test it. She said it

worked well in the outdoor pool, but was a bust when she tried it in a

basement indoor pool. She compared the sound quality to listening to the

radio in an old noisy car with lousy speakers.

"While swimming, the sound

is clear enough to understand the dialog on a talk-radio program or to

hum along to tunes you already know. Yet the sound is contained enough

that nearby swimmers reported they could not hear it."

Shizen Green (shizengreen.com).

The thought of drinking something

green, let alone barley, goes down hard, but this Japanese natural-energy

concoction actually helped me start my days.

Shizen Green is a mix of barley

grass and green tea. Its maker, Asahi Ryokuken of Japan, say it's

a healthy alternative to caffeine, and a .16-ounce packet of the powder

is the nutritional equivalent of a full serving of leafy greens or a shot

of wheat grass.

I used it as a breakfast substitute,

blending it with milk, banana and protein powder. It stuck with me through

the morning. The makers suggest two packets a day, but I just went with

one. Eventually, I graduated to straight hot tea. What I liked most about

Shizen Green was the portability. The portions come in pocket-sized packets.

MetaTrek (iwellness.com).

Among the many products that

iWellness of Bellevue, Wash., markets to the harried and stressed are

weighted shoes designed to make walking a real workout. I tried white

high-top tennis shoes that were about 3 pounds apiece.

The idea is that weight on

the feet carries a far greater energy load than carrying it does on the

torso or in the hands and the greater resistance each step brings means

higher heart rate. Some area physical therapists reject the idea behind

the shoes, saying they could cause injury if used improperly.

Dr. Donald Miller, cardiac

surgeon at the University of Washington Medical School and a designer

of the MetaTrek shoes, says they are engineered to spread the weight and

support the foot's natural movement. He wears them at work. I've

gone for a few long walks with them (don't run!) and have felt an

occasional twinge in my hamstrings and lower back.

I never tripped, but for the

first few walks, I did feel like Herman Munster.

FingerWeights (www.fingerweights.com).

Imagine Liberace working out.

The FingerWeights slip on your

fingers and thumbs. Each is metallic-gold, weighs between 5 and 15 grams,

depending on how you adjust it, and is about the size of a beetle. They

look like rings and provide varying resistance based on whether you wear

them above or below the main knuckles.

The product is tailored to

musicians, computer users and folks suffering from arthritis or carpal

tunnel syndrome, or people just looking to improve flexibility and strength

in their hands. They come with exercise instructions, but the makers warn

you not to overdo it. My hands are stiff and clumsy, so I enjoyed playing

with the gadgets. I actually typed with them. The best part was the looks

I got. n

Danskin's vinyl-covered,

weighted toning balls are portable enough to bring to the office for a

mini workout.

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